Godmanchester flood scheme recognised

Members of the Godmanchester Flood Risk Management Scheme Project Team accepting their awards

Recognition of the recently completed Godmanchester Flood Risk Management Scheme was made for
Technical Excellence and Innovation (highly commended), Physical Achievement (merit) and Team Achievement (merit).

The Awards were presented by the ICE President, Geoff French, at the annual Merit Awards Dinner as a celebration of civil engineering in the region.

Andrew Rouse, Environment Agency Project Manager, said:

I am thrilled that all of the hard work and effort put into this project has been recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

I thank all those involved – the Regional Flood & Coastal Committee, Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council for providing funding; our own Environment Agency officers; Atkins the design engineers; Jackson Civil Engineering and, particularly, the local residents for their support and co-operation in making this happen.

Floods across the country earlier this year have shown again the devastation and misery that flooding brings to people.

It is fantastic to see this scheme recognised in this way as it will significantly reduce the risk of flooding in Godmanchester.

Councillor Ian Bates, one of the Cambridgeshire County Council representatives on the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, said:

Flooding is devastating and the county council is keen to work with partners to reduce the risk of this happening where we can to our communities. We are pleased that this work in Godmanchester has won an award but more importantly that our communities are at less risk of being flooded.

The town of Godmanchester, which had no formal defences, came very close to being flooded in 1998 and properties within low-lying areas are considered to be at significant risk of internal flooding.

The Environment Agency worked with the Regional Flood & Coastal Committee, Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council since 2009 to agree an appropriate way of protecting properties in the town. The scheme was finally approved in January 2012.

The scheme cost £6.8 Million to construct and was jointly funded by Defra, Local Authority Local Levy, direct contributions from Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council and private resident contributions.

The completed scheme was unveiled on 28 February 2014 and includes a combination of flood walls and flood embankments alongside the River Great Ouse. The new defences will increase the level of flood protection in Godmanchester by reducing the risk of flooding from a 1 in 20 year event to a 1 in 100 year event. The scheme will provide flood protection to 556 properties.

Further information about the ICE Merit Awards can be found at:
http://www.ice.org.uk/nearyou/UK-Regions/East-of-England/Competitions-and-Awards/Merit-Awards

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